Nan Feng took a few deep breaths, carefully leaning her face towards the water's edge once again.
It was indeed her own reflection.
She suddenly felt like crying. Her bangs should have been trimmed ages ago; they were so long now that they resembled a ghostly woman's, hanging by her ears only to fall down again in no time. Her hair was as messy as a bird's nest. She had noticed the issue with her hair this morning, but she couldn't find a comb at home. Plus, she didn't know how to comb her hair in the ancient style, so she didn't bother.
In her previous life, even if she went two days without combing her hair, it was never this unbearable.
And what was the deal with these sores on her face?
She had touched her face before, thinking she had pimples or acne. It was just a part of puberty, after all. But never had she expected it to be this disgusting and frightening.
These were actual abscesses!
But why would a girl of fourteen or fifteen have such things on her face?
Her face was not attractive, and her body wasn't any better. Her body, as thin as bean sprouts, didn't have any curves to boast of. Her clothes were patched everywhere.
She thought of her previous self, whose figure stood out even among Victoria's Secret models.
A gust of wind from the mountain swept by, causing the reflections in the water to shimmer and multiply.
Nan Feng thought, no wonder Mo Wenxuan felt disgusting when he saw her. She even felt frightened by her current appearance, so how could Wenxuan possibly like it?
She could only comfort herself, "don't panic, don't panic. As long as I'm alive, things will get better slowly."
For now, she needed to go home and take a bath. The smell from her body and her hair was nauseating her.
She threw the water bucket into the river and watched as it filled with water. Then, she tried hard to pull it out.
It was so frustrating! Although the bucket was not that heavy, she didn't have the strength to lift it.
She wanted to pour some water out to lighten the load, but unexpectedly, she lost her grip and the bucket rushed away with the current.
"Ah—" She couldn't help but cry out. Just as she was about to jump into the water to retrieve the bucket, she heard a splash and saw a figure darting by. When Nan Feng got a clear look, the figure had already caught the bucket.
It was Wild Brother.
After reclaiming her bucket, Wild Brother didn't immediately return it to her. Instead, he filled it to the brink with water and put it onshore.
Then he grabbed another bucket, filled it up with water and put it onshore too.
Although his back was hunched, he lifted the filled water buckets effortlessly, as if they were empty.
Nan Feng, being small, felt as though this tall man was like a big, immovable mountain.
After doing all this, Wild Brother picked up a pole from the ground and gave it to Nan Feng.
Standing face-to-face, Nan Feng once again saw his gnarled and contorted face.
She couldn't help but get goosebumps and instinctively took a step back.
Wild Brother seemed to sense Nan Feng's discomfort and quickly turned around to refill his own buckets.
Nan Feng knew she had been rude, so she tried to explain, "Um... Wild Brother, I didn't mean to... thank you for filling the water for me."
Wild Brother didn't respond at all, nor did he turn around. She wasn't sure if he was angry.
Nan Feng had no choice but to reluctantly carry the two water buckets. However, they were too heavy, so she had to pour out half the water.
...
After washing her head and taking a bath, it was already pitch dark outside. Without a hairdryer, Nan Feng moved a stool into the yard and sat there to dry her hair.
After a significant struggle, she finally managed to get her bird's nest-like hair sorted out. Afterward, she asked the figure inside, her father Nan Quanyou: "Dad, what are these things on my face?"
"What things on your face?"
"These, the ones that are oozing pus. They're absolutely disgusting."